May 29th News and Events

Find Out What happened 29th May Major News Stories include Heysel Stadium Disaster, " Bonus Army " begin arriving in Washington, World War II memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. dedicated, Conquest Of Mount Everest, "Dallas" Who Shot JR,

1980 U.S.A. "Dallas" Who Shot JR
29th May 1980 : The guessing game continues over who shot JR in the hit television series "Dallas" with speculation including Dusty, Sue Ellen and just about anybody in the show. But viewers will have to wait for the fall before the cliff hanger is resolved as the cast and CBS are giving nothing away,

1953 Tibet Conquest Of Mount Everest
29th May 1953 : Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal become the first explorers to reach the top of Mount Everest . Due to the amount of time it took to descend the mountain it was June 2nd before the rest of the world were told about the conquest.

1985 Belgium Heysel Stadium Disaster
29th May 1985 : Minutes before the start of the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium in Brussels , Crowd Violence Erupts which causes a wall to collapse killing 39 football fans and injuring at least another 400. Find Out More on our History of Soccer Page

1914 Canada The Empress of Ireland
29th May 1914 : The Empress of Ireland and A Norwegian coal freighter, the Storstad, crash in St. Lawrence River in thick fog causing the deaths of 1,073 passengers and crew, this was one of the worst maritime accidents in history.

1928 North Pole Italian Dirigible Italia ( Airship )
29th May 1928 : The fate of the Italian Dirigible Italia ( Airship ) is not looking good and rescue parties are searching for any remains 1 week after she set out on the heroic trip to reach the North Pole.

1932 U.S.A. World War I Vets
29th May 1932 : As the great depression of the 70's continue World War I veterans known as the " Bonus Army " begin arriving in Washington to demand cash bonuses they weren't scheduled to receive for another 13 years be paid early to allow them to survive, by late June over 20,000 World War I vets were camped in vacant government buildings and open fields around the capitol.

1942 U.S.A. Bing Crosby / White Christmas
29th May 1942: Bing Crosby records the world's top selling record White Christmas , for the soundtrack of the film Holiday Inn.

1943 U.S.A. "The Million Dollar Band"
29th May 1943: "The Million Dollar Band" was heard for the first time on NBC radio.

1944 Italy World War II
29th May 1944: The allies are pounding the last ditch defenses of the German 10th Army as they surround Rome in Italy and are now only 17 miles from Rome .

1960 England Sophia Loren
29th May 1960 : Sophia Loren has called in Scotland Yard after a million dollars of Jewels had been stolen which included Diamonds, Rubies and emeralds. She is in England shooting the film version of George Bernard Shaws "The Millionaires"

1968 England Manchester United win European Cup
29th May 1968 : Manchester United beat Portuguese side Benfica 4-1 to become the first English club to win the European Cup . The Manchester United team include the legendary George Best, who was named European Footballer of the Year

1968 U.S.A. Truth In Lending Act
29th May 1968 : The ( TILA ) Truth In Lending Act passes into law with regulations designed to protect consumers in credit transactions requiring clear disclosure of key terms of the lending arrangement and all costs. It is part of the "Consumer Credit Protection Act".

1972 Israel Airport Shootings
29th May 1972 : Three gunmen open fire on crowds at Lod International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 26 people and injuring dozens more. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility and said they had recruited the gunmen from the Japanese Red Army who committed the murders.

1984 England Police and Miners Clash
29th May 1984 : At least 5,000 miners picket the Orgreave coking plant near Sheffield trying to stop British Steel's coke convoys, they are met by police using riot gear forcing the pickets to allow lorry drivers with coke deliveries for British Steel and a number of fights break out with police using truncheons and charging the picketers who were using Smoke bombs, bricks, stones.

1990 Russia Boris N. Yeltsin
29th May 1990 : Boris N. Yeltsin elected president of the Russian republic by the Russian parliament

1996 U.S.A. Christopher Reeve / Superman
29th May 1996 : It has been confirmed that Christopher Reeve suffered a neck injury on the weekend when thrown from a horse , but it is unknown at this stage if it will be permanent, Christopher Reeve is best known as the actor who plays Superman

1999 Space International Space Station
29th May 1999 : The Discovery Space Shuttle completes the first docking with the International Space Station

2004 U.S.A. World War II Memorial
29th May 2004 : The World War II memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. is dedicated to veterans from World War II.

Nigeria 2007 Nigeria Nigerian President Sworn In
29th May, 2007 : Newly elected president of Nigeria, Umaru Yar'Adua, was sworn in at a ceremony in the capital Abuja. Despite claims that the election was corrupt, the inauguration marked the first time a civilian leader had peacefully taken over from another civilian leader in Nigeria. There were some protests from opposition groups, but minimal conflict.

Iceland 2008 Iceland Iceland Hit by Earthquake
29th May, 2008 : An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hits Iceland. The earthquake struck thirty miles out of the capital Reykjavik, shaking buildings and causing multiple aftershocks.

United States 2009 United States Music Producer Sentenced
29th May, 2009 : Famous music producer Phil Spector was sentenced to at least nineteen years in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. The sixty-nine year old had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but a jury decided that he had shot her in his mansion and killed her. Spector was famously connected to popular music in the 1960s by working with artists like Tina Turner, but had even developed an eccentric and violent reputation then.

Hong Kong 2012 Hong Kong Martian Pink Diamond Sold for $17.4 Million
29th May, 2012 : A rare pink diamond was sold at Christie's in Hong Kong after six minutes of bidding for $17.4 million. The diamond was the biggest of its type to ever be sold and was bought by an anonymous bidder. The 12-carat diamond was cut in 1976 by the US jeweler Harry Winston and was named Martian Pink after the Mars landing.

France 2013 France First Gay Wedding Takes Place in France

29th May, 2013 : Two men, Vince Autin and Bruno Boileau, became the first gay couple to be married in Montpellier, France. There was tight security at the event as the new law had conjured up violent protests and was considered controversial in the country.

Born This Day In History May 29th

Known For :
Known for his impressive number of television and commercial roles,
he starred in Pretty Woman as Senator Adams. He had parts in the Lone
Ranger, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman as well as appearances on the Dick van
Dyke Show. He had a Batchelor of Arts and Masters from Northwestern University,
and gone on to teach at Armstrong College before founding the Savannah
Playhouse. He moved to California and was signed on by Universal Studios
when he left to produce the radio series Tales of the Texas Rangers. Stacy
married Mary in 1937, and his son Stacy Keach Jr. has gone on to become
an actor.